11/20/09
I went whitetail hunting North of Highway 190 between Menard and Christoval last weekend. I observed lots of really healthy deer, bucks and does. The area we hunt had a bluetongue epidemic about three to four years ago, so we still do not see as many 4.5 to 5.5 year old bucks as all the hunters would like. As other hunters I know have stated, the deer look great and it should be good year in Schleicher County. They received much more rain than a lot of the State, so there was abundant food. Antlers and body condition should be well above avergae.
I saw both mature and immature bucks all weekend, but never saw any rutting activity by the deer. I even used some doe in estrus scent just to see if I could get any reaction, but nothing. The mature bucks I saw completely ignored the hot scent and ignored the does themselves, too. The big bucks were still more interested in pushing the others away from the feeder and filling their bellies. Most years, the rut kicks off with the first major cold front in early November.
We will see what happens this year. A lot of things have gone good this year, so we can only hope for the best. If any of you guys hunt out here, drop a line so we can see how the hunting is going.